1. Your most treasured passport stamp?
The one for China because I remember getting up at the crack of dawn to go wait for 2 hours in line at the embassy in Toronto to apply for our visas.
Then I had to go back and wait another hour and a half to pick up my passport. The visa took an entire page in my passport and looked very, very pretty.
It was also the first country we would visit on our tour around the world.
2. Can you recite your passport number from memory if asked?
Yes. Just like eemusings, our passports are only one digit apart!
3. Preferred method of travel: Plane, train, or automobile?
Train.
No wait, car.
No. Train.
Definitely not plane.
I can’t really decide because I like to get there REALLY fast and be done with the trip, but planes give me motion sickness (99.99% guaranteed to get sick when we’re about to land), and cars are nice but I hate sitting in one spot for long periods of time.
At least on a train, you can get up and take a little trip up and down the aisle.
4. Top three travel items?
- Bose noise-cancelling headphones
- Cashmere sweater / travel wrap
- Birkenstock sandals
You can check out what I packed for 2 months in a carryon and a bag to go to Europe here as a hybrid minimalist.
5. Hostel or hotel?
Hotel. Ibis hotels, to be specific, but only because of price.
If price was not a factor, I like apartment hotels like the Marriott Residence Inn or the Candlewood Suites because there’s a kitchen.
If price was REALLY not a factor and I could eat out every day, I’d go to a super fancy one like the Sofitel (only stayed in one once and it was heavenly).
6. Are you a repeat visitor, or do you prefer to explore new places?
A bit of both.
I went back to Hong Kong, Paris and London at least 3 times and would love to go back to Stockholm.
My “new” places would be countries that I haven’t been to before and want to visit, but generally speaking I don’t like exploring new territory unless there’s something there I specifically want to visit.
7. Do you read up on your destination, or do you wing it?
A bit of both.
I leave all the planning up to BF because he’s really good at nailing down all the sights to see, but I also like days where we’re spontaneous, we meander about and do absolutely nothing because I’m probably super tired from walking 16+ hours a day.
8. Favourite travel website?
ITA Software: Matrix. Best airplane booking website, EVER.
For hotels, I like Hotels.com or going directly to the hotel site to book (e.g. Ibis, Marriott Residence Inn or Candlewood Suites)
9. Where would you recommend a friend to visit, and why?
- Stockholm, Sweden: For relaxation and absolute quaintness
- Hong Kong: One of the most dynamic and efficient cities I have ever visited in the world
- Paris, France: Just for the food and sights, although it has gone down in quality in recent years
- London, England: Just for the sights but go when it isn’t so grey and dreary (in the summer)
- Barcelona, Spain: I loved the vibe of the entire city!
- NYC, USA: Because you can’t travel to the U.S. and NOT visit NYC.. and shop shop shop!
- Los Angeles: A must-visit if you go to the U.S. as well; it’s just such a different vibe there
10. You’re leaving tomorrow and money is no option; where are you going?
If I only had one country to pick, I’d go to Japan.
As I understand it, it’s very expensive to stay in a hotel in Japan, and I’d also want to travel the countryside and stay in ryokans… and stuff my face full of Japanese food.
If I had multiple countries to pick, I’d go to a range of places I have not been to before and would like to visit:
- Japan
- Italy
- Greece
- Australia
- New Zealand
- Thailand
- Vietnam
- Switzerland
- The Netherlands
- Turkey
- Morocco
- Tibet
- South Korea
- Taiwan
- Russia (only to go see that cool looking building, then get the hell out)
Via eemusings via Kara
